Manufacture of railway draft-gears



' S.SIMONSON. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ILWAY DRAFT GEARS.

- APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, I918 v V l, 352, 152; w PatentedSept. 7,1920.

2 EEEEEEEEEEEE l- S. SIMONSON. MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY DRAFT GEARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. I918.

PatentedSept. 7,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- SIGVARI) SIMONSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGll'OR'IO HARRY VISSERING & COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE 8F RAILWAY DRAFT-GEARS.

Application filed May 7, 1918.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SievAno SrMoNsoN, acitizen of the United States, and a residentof Butler, in the county ofButler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and usefulImprovements in the Manufacture of Railway Draft-Gears, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description. 7 y

The invention relates to the manufacture of yokes and keys for railwaydraft-gears.

()ne object of the invention is to provide a method of making forgedone-piece drawbar yokes comprising integral sides having openingstherein to receive the draft-gear.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofeconomically forming a one-piece forged yoke which is complete in itselfand is formed so that separate transverse connections, such as arenecessary in a sectionally formed yoke, will not be required.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking forged draw-bar yokes in which key-pins for securing the yokes tocoacting elements are formed of cut-outs from the blank for the yoke,thus reducing the cost of production and effecting a saving of metal.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the practice hereinafterset forth.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bar of metal orstock which forms a blank for the yoke and keys. Fig. 1 is across-section of the blank. Fig. 2 is ,a perspective view showing theyoke-blank after the key-blanks have been out therefrom and the endshave been slotted and shaped. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of one of thecut-out sections which forms a keyblank. Fig. 4,15 a perspective view ofthe key cut and shaped from the blank shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the finished yoke and after the blank has beendoubled or bent medially to form theintegral sides, each side having anopening therein for the follower plates for the draftgear andfor thecoupler-shank key. Fig. 6 is a plan, parts being shown in section, of adraft-gear embodying the yoke and key made in accordance with theimproved Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. '7, 1%20.

Serial No. 233,022.

method. Fig. 7 shows a blank for a modified form of yoke.

The improved method consists, in forming the yoke of a bar 10 preferablyof rolled steel or wrought iron. Said bar has top and bottom flanges 11and'12, anda web 13 with a thickened zoneor longitudinal rib 14, theflanges and web being integral. The web portions 13 extend diagonallyfrom the outer face of the flanges to the inner edges of the rib 1 1-.The bar is in substance, a channel-bar with a thickened central rib 14:and is formed by a suitable rolling process. These bars are ofsuflicient length to form. the back and both sides of a draw-bar yokeand may, if desired, be cut from long lengths of stock.

Two sections ls? are cut or punched out of the ribbed web 13, leavingopenings 16 in the yoke blank, as shown in Fig.2. I These openings arespaced apart to leave a vertical connecting or columnar portion 17between the top and bottom flanges, medially of the blank. This portion17 is adapted to be formed into the back or connecting-portionbetweenthe yoke-sides with a columnar portion between the top and bottomflanges.

The front ends of the blank 10 are cut off, as at 18, on convergentlines to form narrowed ends at the sides of the coupler-shankrespectively. A longitudinal key-slot 19 is punched or formedadjacenteach end of the blank 10 for the key which connects thecoupler-shank and yoke. The .metal adjacent the outer end of eachkey-opening is swaged or upset,'as showmatQO, to provide an enlarged orreinforced bearing projecting from the outer face of the blank for thefront of the key. In forging the end portions of the blank, the ribportions lt between the outer ends of the openings 16 and the ends ofthe blanks, are forced outwardly so that the inner face of the web ofthe blank will be substantially flat, and the metal then projecting fromthe outer face of the blank is cut away or utilized in the reinforcement20. This shaping is effected to avoid excessive thickness. in the yokeat the sides of the coupler-shank, and to leave suffi- 'ally of thecorrect dimensions to form a i 22 which is adapted to connect the ytransversely on a medial line to form sides in juxtaposition, as shownin Fig. 5. in this operation, the openings 16 are brought intotransverse alinement with each other and the key-slots 19 are alsobrought into transverse alinement. This bending operation forms theblank into a yoke with two sides which are integral and which hascontinuously ex tending flanges 11 and 12 and an integral connecting orcolumnar portion 1? between the flanges. The back of the yoke ispreferably semi-circular in form and the sides are flared from the reartoward the front. The back edges of the openings in the connecting webportion of the yoke will be properly disposed to hold the rear buff 3 orfollower plate 28 and the front edges of said openings will be disposedto e115; e the front follower plate 27, the openings 16,2 tendingsubstantially between the flanges, will be of suliicient height so thatthe draf gear can be inserted laterally into the yoke and to space theyoke-sides apart trans-- versely to receive andretain the draitgear. Theyokesides extend directly and an-' i1 larly from the back of the yoke tothe sides of the coupler-shank. With this formation, the stressesbetween the back and the front of a one-piece yoke are directly a]plied.

This method thus exemplifies on for p oducing a forged one-piece yoke inwhich the sides are formed with openings for the buffer mechanism andwith key-slots.

' The thin portions of the cut-out sections 15 disposed above and belowthe thick portion 14 are sheared off and the cross-sectional area ofthis thick portion is suliistautie ant the coupler-shank. After the thinmarginal portions of the blank 15 have been cut away, the edges of theremaining portion will be suitably shaped or cut and one end may bebent, as at 22 to form ahead thereon to 'two key blanks for each yoke,and if but one is utilized in the make-up of the draft-gear,

the other may be kept in reserve for replacement of a broken one. I

In Fig. 6, the product of the invention is shown as applied to a draftgear comprising a coupler having a shank 24L secured to the yoke by key22. The latter, as well understood in the art, e "tends also through thedraft-beams 25. 7 Front stops 26 are engaged by the front follower-plate27, and the rear follower-plate 28 engages rear-stops 30 on the draftbeams. A suitable draft-gear 29 of suitable type, such as a friction orspring gear, is interposed between the follower plates, as wellunderstood in the art. The follower plates and draft-gear 29am allinsertible laterally into the yoke through openings. V

Fig. 7 shows the shape given to the blanl when the yoke is to be usedfor tandem bullier mechanism. Four openings 16" are cut into the web ofthe blank. This blank, after its ends have been shaped and the key slotshave been cut therein in the same manner as hereinbefore. described, isbent around a median transverse line to bring the key-slots and openings16? into transverse alinement. Each alined pairv oi? openings is adaptedto receive and retain one element of a tandem draft-gear of any suitableconstruction.

The invention exemplifies, an imrn'oved method for the manufacture offorged draftgear yokes in which the two sides, each having one or moreopenings therein for the follower plates and draft-gear are integrallyformed out of a blank of wrought metal. Also a method, by which a iltllfi-fl bar is doubled or bent transversely, with its inside, to form aone-piece forged yoke. Also a method in which cut-outs from theyoke-blank are forged into keys.

The invention is not to beunderstood as restricted to the details setforth, since these "may be modified within the scope of the ap- 1. Thatimprovement in making railway draft-gear yokes which consists in forminga blank of metal of suficient length to form the sides and back of ayoke, shaping and forming reinforcements on the end portions of theblank for attachment to a couplershank, cutting draft-gear openings inthe blank, and bending and doubling the blank about its medial portionto form a one-piece yoke and to bring the openings into juxtaposition toform a draft-gear pocket in'the yoke.

2. draft-gear yokes which consists in forming a blank of metal ofsufficient'length to form the sides and back of a yoke with marginalflanges at the top and bottom thereof, shap ing and formingreinforcements onthe end portions of the blank for attachment to acouplershank, cutting draft-gear openings in the web of the blank, andbending and doubling the blank about its medial portion to form. aone-piece yoke with the flanges forming the top and bottom thereof andso That improvement in making railway as to bring the openings intojuxtaposition and form a draft-gear pocket in the yoke.

3. That improvement in making railway draft-gear yokes which consists informing a blank of metal of sufficient length to form the sides and backof a yoke with marginal flanges at the top and bottom thereof and aconnecting web having a thickened central Zone, shaping and formingreinforcements on the end portions of the blank for attachment to acoupler-shank, cutting draft-gear openings in the web of the blank, andbending and doubling the blank about its medial portion to form aone-piece yoke with the thickened Zone forming a portion of the back andthe flanges forming the top and bottom thereof and to bring the openingsinto juxtaposition to form a draft-gear pocket in the yoke.

4. That improvement in making railway draft-gear yokes which consists informing a blank of metal of sufficient length to form the sides and backof a yoke with marginal flanges at the top and bottom thereof, shapingand forming reinforcements on the end portions of the blank forattachment to a coupler-shank, cutting draft-gear openings in the Web ofthe blank and bending and doubling the blank about its medial portion toform a one-piece yoke with flanges inwardly of the web and to bring theopenings into juxtaposition to form a draftgear pocket in the yoke.

5. That improvement in the manufacture of making railway draft-gearwhich consists in punching a section out of a yokeblank to form adraft-gear opening in the blank, shaping the blank for keying to acoupler-blank, and shaping the punching into a key for attaching'theyoke to the shank. 7

6. That improvement in the manufacture of draft-gear which consists inpunching out of the web of a marginally flanged yoke-blank to form adraft-gear opening in the blank forming a key-slot in blank and shapingthe punching to pass through the key slot for attaching the yoke to acouplershank.

7. That improvement in making railway draft-gear which consists informing a blank of suflicient length to form the sides and back of ayoke, shaping and cutting key-slots in the end-portions of the blank forattachment to a coupler-shank, punching sections out of the blank toform draftgear openings, bending and doubling the blank to bring thekey-slots and openings into juxtaposition to form a one-piece yoke witha draft-gear pocket therein, and shaping one of the punchings to form akey adapted to connect the yoke to the shank.

8. That improvement in the manufacture of railway draft-gear yokes whichconsists in cutting a plurality of openings adapted to receive followerplates and draft-gear in a bar of metal, doubling and bending the barabout its medial portion to form a one piece open-sided yoke and so thatsaid openings will be transversely alined, cutting key-slots in thesides adjacent one end of the yoke and forming integral reinforcementsat said slots.

SIGVARD SIMONSON.

